Friday, March 29, 2013

Keep Calm, Love Running

I feel like i have so many runs to (b)log! Ive really liked getting into the habit of writing each week, but last Friday i was completely out of it and pretty much a zombie. I'm surprised i made it trough Yoga.  I thought about skipping class and going home but I'm glad i stayed.  Each week has been getting harder as he adds in more advanced poses and has us moving through the positions at a faster pace.  I love the challenge and the sore feeling i have afterwards.  My legs are like jello after Yoga.

Anyways, here's the quick overview of my runs/workouts: (i don't really feel like writing a whole lot today, and i basically just want to track these before i forget to)

Friday March 15: Yoga for an hour then Ran 3.76miles in 26.11 avg pace of 6'57"  M1:6'56" M2:6'53" M3:6'53"

Sat 16: worked all day and then i went home and napped.  no workout

Sun 17: I lifted, arm day. Did 31minutes on the StairMaster, did my squats on the balance ball with and 8lb medicine ball and then i ran 3.22miles in 20:46 with an avg pace of 6'27" M1:6'36" M2:6'26" M3:6'20"

Mon 18: (Ive decided Mondays are going to be my long cardio days and that on either Saturday or Sunday i will take a rest day, depends on how I'm feeling).  I ran 7.02miles in 45:58 with and avg pace of 6'33"
   M1:6'32" M2:6'18" M3:6'25" M4:6'38" M5:6'35" M6:6'40" M7:6'39" 
  after that run, i then did a 1hour bike (that's as long as it would let me do) and that got me to 17.46miles

Tues 19:  I was not feeling the gym on this day.  My headphones started to short out when i started running, and i need my music to workout.  if i don't have music, i start to over think and lose focus.  Music drowns my thoughts and allows me to focus on the beat and lyrics instead of my thoughts.  I ran 1.56miles in 10"32 avg pace 6'45" and then i called it quits.  I just couldn't stand the frustration of my headphones.  Because of my headphone issue, i did not work out on Wednesday.  Thursday morning, i bought a new pair and got in a run.

Thurs 21: Ran 4.11miles in 27:38 with an average pace of 6'43" M1:7'00 M2:6'50" M3:6'41" M4:6'24"

Fri 22:  No gym this day, i just did Yoga. A woman i work with brought me some of her homemade chili so i went home after Yoga so i could eat it! i was so excited about it that i decided missing out the gym wasn't a bad thing.

Sat 23: Ran 3.28miles in 22:4 with an avg pace of 6'47" M1:7'00" M2:6'42" M3:6'43"  Then i did 22minutes on the elliptical and went home

Sun 24: I skipped the gym and instead i slept in then went and hung out with this boy i like ;) We went to a movie, saw "Olympus Has Fallen"  I highly recommend it! I couldn't sit still watching, i was (and i mean literally) on the edge of me seat!

Mon: (I know i said I'm going to make Monday's my long days, but eh, sometimes i just have to listen to the cues from my body and take it easy)  I ran outside.  I did 1.20miles in 7:43 with an avg pace of 6'25"

Tues and Wednesday i did not workout.  Wednesday, i changed my work schedule so i will be working the afternoon and closing the salon, then going with a girlfriend every Wednesday to an AA meeting right afterwards.  We went to a meeting i hadn't been to since October, and she hadn't been to this meeting in an even longer time.  It was a really good meeting and I'm glad she and i are planning to go there every week. Its our version of girls night. haha

Thursday 28 (yesterday):  I ran 3.01miles in 19:50 with an avg pace of 6'35"  I set the incline to 2 on the first two miles, then on mile three took off the incline and increased from my 9.0pace to a 9.4 then upping it the last 1/2mile to 9.7.  After i logged the 3miles, i took the pace to 4.2 and set the incline to 4 and walked my cool down (1.11miles).  I was soaked afterwards.  i dont know if its because i had just had a massage and had toxins being sweat out or what, either way i felt great.  After my run, i headed home to get changed and run errands before i had to head back to work and close.  After work, i hung out with that boy i like and went bowling.  He, of course, beat me, but i cant admit to him that i figured he would.  I did hold my own pretty good though, he won by 1 point!! We only bowled one round, then grabbed a bite to eat and called it a night.  I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty smitten with this guy :)

Well that's all I've got.  Tonight is Yoga and then i do plan to head to the gym for some cardio.  I'm not sure if ill run, or if ill follow through on that plan.  My knee has been bothering me all morning and the poses we do in Yoga add some strain to my knee as well.  I guess ill just play it by ear and see how i feel afterwards.  I can always go hard tomorrow and Sunday.  Ill have the majority of my Easter to myself.  I am going to Easter Lunch at a coworkers house.  Very grateful she invited me so i don't have to spend the day alone, I normally would spend the day with my Dad, but he has elected to have a quiet day.  I don't blame him, our last family holiday was utter chaos. Enough of my ramblings. 

Until next time, "your mind gives up before your legs do"



Friday, March 15, 2013

Your workout..thats My warm up

"On those mornings when i was tempted to roll over and fall asleep again, I imagined my racing rivals leaping out of bed and roaring out the front door on a ten-mile workout. The thought so terrified me that i was generally lacing up my shoelaces within five minutes." -Amby Burfoot
  For those who don't know who Amby Burfoot is, he is the editor of one of my favorite magazines, Runners World, as well as the 1968 Boston Marathon Winner.  How's that for your fun fact of the day :)  The above quote by Burfoot, is one that i remind myself of on those morning I want to continue to hit my snooze button and award myself 2.5 hours extra sleep.  Then I remind myself of the list of runs i plan to compete in this spring/summer and how I'm not a very gracious loser. That in itself gives me that needed boost to get my butt up and at it; i do not want to have to face defeat. I'm a very gracious and humble winner, but losing, that's not a strong point for me.  Just add it to my list of character defects (yes, I'm throwing out an AA reference).

I've  decided I'm going to try and write once a week, shooting to do that entry on Fridays. I'm not sure if i will always be able to, but the key word is try.  One of these days, ill actually go out and get myself a computer again. Ive gone a few years without one and have survived but I'm starting to miss having one. Okay, my last entry was the 7th and i had been debating working out that day.  I did not workout, i worked a bit over 12 hours so at the end of the day called it quits and went home. Friday, i worked all day, as per usual and had Yoga afterwards.  I was SOOO sore from Yoga, for 5 days!! After class, i went right to the gym and did an hour on the StairMaster.  Saturday, i didn't workout.  I was at work til 4 and had plans right after. 

Sunday, i slept in...til 4pm.  I had woken up earlier, but i was so stressed over something id said to someone that i just felt sick to my stomach and couldn't bear to think or get up, so i choose to sleep most of the day instead.  When i finally did get up, i was very angry at my actions, and when that happens, I of course find ways to "punish" myself.  I already had the no food that day part going pretty strong so i decided id go for a run...in the rain.  The temperature wasn't too bad, 39 degrees, but add in the rain and wind and needless to say, it was not a joyful run.  I spent the first half trying to dodge 3inch deep puddles and melting snow, but eventually was sick of messing up my pace and just ran through them.  My shoes were soaked by the time i finished and my feet were freezing, but hey, that's what i deserved.  I ran 3.03miles in 21:22 with an avg pace of 7'03"  My slowest run in the past month, but I'm going to play the blame game and blame the weather and the dodging of puddles.  Miles are as follow: M1:6'53" M2:7'25" (YIKES!) M3:6'47"

Monday, i really wasn't in the mood to do anything but dragged my sorry behind to the gym.  I ran 3.03mi in 19.33 with an avg pace of 6'27"per mile.  M1:6'30" M2:6'26" M3"6'23"  Negative splitting is what i like to see! After running, i walked for another 30 minutes, with an incline of 4 and at a power walk pace NOT a cool down pace.  Then i did the StairMaster for 15minutes and left.  My knee was aching before i even got on the StairMaster so i did as much as i could before i was in serious pain.

Tuesday, i went to the gym after work.  I did the StairMaster first. In the afternoon, that becomes the coveted machine as there is only one, so i figured id use it while it was free. I did 8.09miles or 62minutes on the StairMaster, then some core work and squats, finishing with a 2.32mile run and a 2.5 mile brisk walk (no incline). My knee was not feeling the greatest so i didn't want to push myself to vigorously.  2.32 was run in 15:02 with an avg. pace of 6'28"per mile. M1:6'32" M2:6'24"

Wednesday, I ran 3.83miles in 26:05 with an avg. pace of 6'42" per mile.  That run was very hard for me.  My knee was in terrible pain but i did my best to numb my mind and focus on the techno music i had blaring in my earphones (I work out to Pandora radio's "Scooter" station, i absolutely love it!!). After that run, i also power walked 2.43miles at an incline of 4.  Yesterday, Thursday, i did not make it to the gym.  I did walk 2.5 miles around town running errands and also on top of that did not eat anything until i finally decided to have a salad around 615.  I then had another salad with a grilled chicken breast around 8 and ended my day around a 500calorie intake. Whoo hoo! Thats the way every day should be! Add in 1300 or so cals burned at the gym and i call that a perfect day :)   Today is a failure day and I'm sure the scale will show that to me tomorrow.  Its 5pm and im already at 1700calories. F*@K Me! I hate that.  This is the most i have eaten in a single day in about 2 months.  I'm going crazy.  I have an hour of yoga to do tonight and then im going straight to the gym where i plan to stay until Ive burned off all these calories or pass out.  Which ever comes first.  And to "punish" myself, I'm not allowed to have dinner and have to drink 2-3 cups of lax tea.  I cant believe i let myself go.  I blame the peanut butter! Ive become obsessed with this peanut butter by Planters (as in Planters Peanuts), its a cinnamon raisin granola peanut butter. 180cals for every 2 tblspns. I was healthy all day until that peanut butter and 1 3/4 bagels crept up on me.  Damn you carbs and pb!! (shakes fist in the air) Why must you taste soooo good!!!  Yea, so enough about my fat ass.  Here's to hoping my knee cooperates with me and i can stay strong and say "NO!" to food.  I was steadily down in weight all week, down 3 lbs as of this morning, fingers crossed to see that even lower tomorrow or i will seriously cry.  Thankfully Sunday and Monday are right around the corner and i have no plans tomorrow night so i can just sleep them away and avoid food, only waking to get myself to the gym and sweat out this unwanted fat that covers my body.

Until next time, stay strong, eat lean, train mean.


Middle pic is my bloated was after eating way to much :(





Thursday, March 7, 2013

Better luck next time

Its only been a week since my last post, and i have basically nothing to write about.  Ive been a lazy depressed fat ass this past week. Yea yea, cut myself some slack. But i just cant; I'm never satisfied with what i "accomplish" at the gym.  My weight is stuck and its driving me insane! I just feel like a fat blob. My knee has been causing me severe pain, again.  Ive been trying to push through and run it out, but now I'm back to the point where I'm limping walking home, on a day i didn't run.  Needless to say, I'm not going to make that minimum of 20 miles a week goal that i set for myself.  Makes me feel like a bit of a failure, but i have to rationalize and realize if i keep running ill be getting surgery way sooner then i should be.  I need to take care of my body.  Especially with the list of races i have lined up for myself starting in May (ill list those later). 

Since the last time i wrote, Ive only run 3 times. Friday night, March 1, was Yoga and then the gym.  I did end up leading the class, and i must say, i did a damn good job!! It really inspired me to become more involved in Yoga and Ive actually been in contact with the Corporate Yoga correspondent for Lululemon. How cool!! And, my mom has been very supportive with my new desire to become a Yoga instructor and has begun to email me anything Yoga related that goes her way. Super awesome.  After Yoga class, i went to the gym (my normal Friday night routine).  I did the StairMaster and the elliptical as my knee was in no condition to run.  Saturday and Sunday i was a major slacker and didn't work out at all.  I know, whats wrong with me! I need to get my ass in gear and stop skipping out on the weekends! Granted i do my 50+ squats everyday, its not the same as a good cardio workout. I did walk over 2 miles on Sunday though, so that counts for something.  Monday, i almost skipped the gym again, like i said, Ive been a depressed blob and when I'm feeling that way the last thing i want to do is leave my bed.  But i did drag myself out of bed and get to the gym.  I haven't, however had enough energy to go the 2 blocks the opposite direction to the tanning salon.  its been over a week since I've tanned. Eeek!  (I'm such a rambler today, my apologies!) I ran twice on Monday and then did 45minutes on the StairMaster.  I was only going to run once, but after my first run, i walked for 10 minutes and got the itch to go again.  If my knee hadn't started to make me wince i would have tried for a better 3.02mi then the first, and i was on the pace for that, but i just couldn't take the pain.  Even the StairMaster was painful for me that day. 

Run 1: 3.04miles in 19:39 with a pace of 6'27" per mile M1:6'38 M2:6'18" M3:6'23"
walked 10 minutes
Run 2: 2.01miles in 12:57 with a pace of 6'25" per mile M1:6'13" M2:6'36"

Tuesday, i did a 430am gym time. (i was going to do that today, but sleep sounded so much better...again, that bad mood in me is taking over)  That morning, i ran, lifted, and biked. It was nice to be there that early.  The weight area is no where near as busy as it is in the afternoons, so I'm able to lift without all the know-it-all "meat head" guys hanging around, I get it dude, you lift weights, but stop staring at my ass! After i finished lifting (i did arms and also did core work) i had time to kill before i needed to get ready for work so i did a 20minute bike, or 5.46miles.
My run was as follows: 3.03miles in 19:58 with an average pace of 6'35" per mile.  M1:6'35" M2:6'31" M3:6'38" at mile 2 i started to feel my knee and began to wince but i do have quite a good ability at blocking my mind and was able to finish my minimum. 

Yesterday, i did not get to the gym.  I had an obligation outside of work that took up the majority of my day and left me emotionally and mentally drained.  I did do an hour of core and strength exercises that night.  Just the basics, squats, push ups, planks, side planks, v-ups, reverse crunches, crunches, Russian twists, bicycles, you know, the basics.  I'm still debating the gym tonight.  I know it would be a great stress relief for me, which is 110% what i need at this moment, but at the same time, id much rather curl into bed, cuddle with my cat and cry.  Tomorrow, I'm supposed to have yoga class, but I'm thinking of skipping it.  Ill try and wake up for the gym in the morning, but i already know myself well enough to know its not going to happen.  Sunday, I'll just try and start fresh (I cant Saturday, as i have plans after work with a friend from out of town).

Anyways, that's my update.  sorry if it seems a bit all over the place and not well written, my head is very chaotic today.  Until next time:  "Good Better Best Never Take a Rest Til Your Good is Better And Your Better is Best"